Drabbles of Christmas
by Tia Ordona 23
Summary: Story for Christmas, may become a series of oneshots depending on lovely spirit of Christmas! Chapter 2: It was probably the most tedious of all Christmas traditions...hanging up Christmas lights!
1. Chapter 1: Christmas Cards

Oh my God. Let me start on what a royal pain Christmas cards are. Royal. Pain. Okay, well now that that's over with, this may or may not become a series of oneshots depending on how busy I am in the next few days. I'm working on a war fic for Cold-Foxx, so it may not be updated in a while. Well, here goes! This chapter is dedicated to my brother, who made a funny FMA Christmas picture! (I'll send links if anyone wants them.)

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"I can't believe this," grumbled Ed grumpily, crossing his arms as he tried to slow his pace.

"Come on, brother!" Al said, running up ahead of him. "We haven't sent these in forever, and besides, it'll be fun!" Al was happy about the whole thing. Ever since their mother had died, they had never really celebrated Christmas. But now they had an opportunity, and Al was determined to take advantage of it.

"Whatever," said Ed, who clearly thought the whole thing was merely troublesome. It was still the end of November, for crying out loud! Al pushed open a big oak door, revealing an even larger office.

"Oh, Ed! You're here!" said Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes happily. Ed noticed that there was a camera set up on a tripod, and he gulped. He only knew how famous Maes and his camera were around the station…

"Run," mouthed Master Sergeant Kain Fuery, behind Maes's back, as he busily set up a white background by one of the large windows in Colonel Roy Mustang's office.

Roy was sitting at his desk, pressing his fingers against his forehead as if he were suffering from a major migraine. Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was standing by his desk, giving Ed the wide, sympathetic eyes. Lieutenant Jean Havoc was also standing, but looking very, very irritated, as if he were missing a date for this.

Maes stood up and abruptly clapped his hands. "All right, everyone! Let's all pose for this picture!" he said happily. He and Al were the only ones that seemed excited for the photo shoot. Al was already standing at the background. Even though he was a seven foot suit of armor, his voice was smiling.

"Come on, Ed! Come stand by me!" he called out to his brother.

"I actually think that you should stand in the back to the side, Al," began Maes, critically surveying Al. "Ed should probably stand at the front, so he'll be easier to see…"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT THEY CAN'T BE SEEN IN A CHRISTMAS PICTURE WITH A BUNCH OF FOUR-YEAR-OLDS!" Ed screamed, practically foaming at the mouth.

"That's not what he said, Ed," said Riza stepping aside to help with the situation. "Besides, we're all older than you, not four years old." Ed took a deep, shaking breath, his fists still tightly clenched and stood in the background.

"All right, everybody! Please step in the picture," said Maes, pressing a few buttons on his precious camera. Everybody began to step in at once, a few blocking Ed. "Let Ed be at the front!" commanded Maes, and Ed looked like he was ready to explode. Luckily, Riza managed to hold him back through the worst of it.

"Okay, now…" Maes began, stepping in and beginning to shove people around to change their placement. "Havoc, you stand here…right…" He gave Havoc a push, placing him near the back. "That's right, you stand by Al…"

"If we hurry up we can make a break for it," muttered Warrant Officer Vato Falman to Roy as he stepped over so he could stand by Havoc.

"Okay, now put your arms around each other, you know, like you guys are happy together," said Maes. It caused a heavy reaction from both Al and Havoc…they both gave Maes the most disgusted looks.

"Not like that! Relationships these days…" said Maes, even though the happy atmosphere floating around him didn't even faze.

"All right, Roy, that's good," said Maes, surveying the picture. He rubbed his chin in thought for a few seconds, then grabbed both Roy's hands and placed them on Ed's shoulders.

"GERMS!" yelled Ed, before falling to the ground. Maes and Roy rolled their eyes as Maes hoisted Ed off the ground by the armpits.

"Come on, Fullmetal, try to act your age, not your height," said Roy, smirking. That toed the line even further.

"DON'T CALL ME SHORT!!!" he yelled, almost pulling Maes's arms off. Luckily, Maes still had the arm strength to place Ed back in his original position, though his shoulders were twitching were Roy was forced to touch them.

"Okay, everybody!" said Maes loudly in his happiest voice. "Get ready for the picture!" He quickly pressed a button on the camera, making a small light blink, the light flashing accelerating with every second. Maes quickly jumped in the picture next to Riza, and there was a huge flash as the camera took its first picture.

"MY EYES!" yelled Fuery, rubbing his eye under the glasses before smartly deciding to remove them.

The second picture took, and Ed began to walk away slowly. "Wait!" Maes yelled. "One more, Edward."

Ed groaned and got back in the frame, forcing a smile. The flash blinded them all yet again. "One more," said Maes patiently. "Come on, act like you all like each other!"

The picture took again. "One more." Yet another flash blinded them. "Just one more." Yet another picture was taken. "Last one."

"WILL YOU STOP THE STUPID THING AND LET US GET ON WITH OUR LIVES?!" yelled Ed before another flash enveloped him.

"That was it!" proclaimed Maes, before joyously leaping to the camera. "These are all so good; I'm going to have a hard time picking just one to send!" Havoc smacked his hand to his forehead in agony.

"Okay, well at least that over with," said Ed. He turned, started forward, and SMACK! Hit the wall and fell to the floor for the second time that day.

"Sorry, sir," Al apologized to Roy. "He must be a little blinded from that."

"No problem," said Roy, smirking. "And tell him he should seriously drink his milk…he could've broken one of his _little _bones very easily without the calcium."

Ed's eyes shot open, but Al managed to take him before the damage was done.

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Well, that was a little odd. XD But I liked the turnout nonetheless. Well, review please! And remember, there may not be updates on this for a while or it may be one chapter, but don't lose faith! (too much Trauma Center)


	2. Chapter 2: Rigging up the lights?

Oh my Gosh, I've been like DEAD for a loooong, long time. Don't fret, though, I'm working on a multi-chaptered warfic in a small notebook with a mechanical pencil. :D

Christmas lights are EVIL. I'm saying that with the horrible knowledge of experience. Really, one light goes out, the rest of them go out, too! It's like that song!

Oh yeah, and I changed the title. I couldn't stand the other one, and it was misspelled, too. That drove me crazy because I was too lazy to actually change it. Oh, I'm blabbering! On with the fanfic!

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"Ugh…I _hate_ Christmas lights…" Ed muttered in a clearly annoyed tone, carefully unwinding a string of twinkling, brightly colored lights. Al seemed to be taking the task a little more light-heartedly…he was laughing and effortlessly winding his own string of lights around the trees outside of the Central Headquarters. Ed was still on his first set of them, haphazardly winding them around his own trees near the door.

"Come on, Ed!" Colonel Roy Mustang yelled from his corner. Of course, he and Riza Hawkeye had the neatest looking trees in the whole vicinity. "You can't just wind them around any old way! You have to do it carefully!"

"I'm trying! Why do we have to put these stupid lights up anyway?!" yelled Ed, struggling to keep his string of lights from getting tangled.

"Because the annual light-up night is coming very soon, Fullmetal," Roy said, motioning for Havoc to come over to get his second set of lights, leaving Edward in last place with only one set of lights hung up. Ed groaned loudly. It was already getting late, they had been working for hours…when could he leave for the Philosopher's Stone?

Luckily, all Ed really needed to do was lasso a string around a tree and he was done…and Roy would stick him with more lights. He sighed and lazily winded the last loop of lights around the top of the small pine tree, then moved so he could be with the others and Al.

"Finally you get done, Edward," Roy said sarcastically, smirking. "How lovely. Now maybe we can actually light this thing up and go home."

Ed stuck his tongue at the Colonel, but Roy was busy yelling out instructions to Fuery, who was working the lights.

"NOW JUST SWITCH IT ON! IT'S READY!" Roy yelled, signaling wildly to the mechanic. Fuery nodded and with just one flick of the switch, the whole headquarters lit up as if by magic.

Ed felt his breath catch. He looked around, seeing the sparkling and shining of all the lights. The headquarters always managed to look plain during the day, but lit up night, it was lovely, glimmering and shining.

Ed could feel Roy's proud gaze beam at them all, even him. It was amazing how a simple holiday like Christmas could get everyone so excited, so kind to one another.

For once, rigging up the lights seemed worth it this time.

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This one was a little more serious, which is what I'm planning for the next few chapters. But yay, Christmas! Sorry, they're going to be around this short, but you know…drabbles. Well, don't forget to review on your way out.


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